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It was the last place they expected to be on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

But many of the 35 teenagers who gathered in the median of the Northern State Parkway in Dix Hills Saturday said they simply had to come see the spot where two high school buddies died in a horrific car crash Thursday night.
"I didn't want to come but I had to come," said Deena Polsinelli, 16, who said that just hours before the crash, one of the victims, Giacomo "Jack" Alfieri, had asked her to go to the prom.

"Jack was my prom date, and Mike was my best friend," said Polsinelli, referring to the other victim, Michael Moniz. Both victims were 17.

They sifted through a vast debris field of car parts and latex gloves left behind after the crash in which the two seniors at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore were killed after their car hit a tree in the median at more than 100 mph. at 8:27 p.m.

With Moniz, of Bellmore, in the passenger seat, Alfieri, of Merrick, was weaving in and out of traffic in his father's 2007 BMW in the eastbound lanes of the parkway just west of Exit 42, Deer Park Avenue, when the accident occurred, police said.

The mourners gathered at the crash site Saturday to erect a memorial. They left flowers, candles and tied a cross made of red, white and green flowers to the tree where their friends' lives ended.

As she watched her son Marc, 18, tie a cross to the tree, Suzanne Frank said the accident would not stop teens from driving at high speeds, but it should.

"Certainly for our kids it's a wake-up call," she said.

Both victims' families announced plans for funeral services Saturday. Visiting for Alfieri will be Monday from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at the N.F. Walker Funeral Home in Merrick. His funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the Cure of Ars Parish in Merrick.

The viewing for Moniz will be Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Bartholomew Funeral Home in Bellmore. The funeral Mass will be Monday at 11:45 a.m. at St. Barnabas Catholic Church in Bellmore.

At the crash scene Saturday, teenagers spent the afternoon sifting through the brush. They found earphones, a gray headrest and Alfieri's acceptance letter to Hofstra University, where he had planned to study business in the fall. He was an only child who had burns on his arms from pulling hot pizzas out of the ovens at the Bohemia restaurant that his family runs.

"His father, Anthony, will probably never be the same," said Barbara Skelly, a former waitress at Saviano's on Sunrise Highway that the Alfieri family has run for 30 years. She stopped by the restaurant Saturday to drop off a flower at the door.

A sign taped to the door said the restaurant would be closed until further notice.

Roman Spinner, 58, who lives in the same house as the Moniz family, described Michael as a polite boy with an easy smile who seemed fascinated by cars.

"He was constantly in the backyard tinkering around with the family's three cars."

Most kids get in a car like that and think that they can handle it at high speeds. If you do something like that then AT LEAST go to a driving school and DON"T do it in alot of traffic. If you ask me, he was just being plain old stipid.

I did a lot of dumb things behind the wheel as a teen, I survived those years, some do not

Many years ago, a friend of the family explained it to me best, his take was kids have extreme faith in the car, that the car will save them, whereas adults seem to have an understanding of all the things that can happen.

Looking back, I think that's sort of true, I never worried about the kid riding his bike out of the driveway on a blind curve, or what was over the next crest - I just plundered forward, faithfully expecting the car to "perform".

You know, if this was posted on the Darwin Awards site, we'd all be laughing.

As sad as it is to see two lives lost regardless of age or method, I can't help myself. Part of me is relieved that there's a few less morons on the streets and happy that they didn't take anyone else with them.

You know, if this was posted on the Darwin Awards site, we'd all be laughing.

As sad as it is to see two lives lost regardless of age or method, I can't help myself. Part of me is relieved that there's a few less morons on the streets and happy that they didn't take anyone else with them.

I don't think so. Like many have said, at some point we all do something utterly stupid, some just pay more for their stupidity than others.

__________________

-Capitalization is the difference between "I had to help my uncle Jack off a horse.." and "I had to help my uncle jack off a horse.."

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.-Robert A. Heinlein

Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious-Unknown

True, but the point of the Darwin Award is to highlight and make fun of those who pay the ultimate price for their stupidity.

It's one thing to laugh at some guy that dies by jumping off a bridge with too long of a rope and completely another that involves something many of us have done ourselves at some point. That hits too close to home to be very funny.

__________________

-Capitalization is the difference between "I had to help my uncle Jack off a horse.." and "I had to help my uncle jack off a horse.."

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.-Robert A. Heinlein

Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious-Unknown

I feel sorry for the dad. That was a Brand New car, and can you imagine what the father thinks now. Thinking about that car, and how it lead to the death of his son and friend. I wish that I had foresight to know how I would die, because driving a car is the most dangerous thing that 99% of people do. I look at my car and think, "I shure hope I dont die in that thing." because really there is nothing you can do about it if you are a smart and careful driver.

We have all done our share of stupid things, and made it out alive. It really takes a tragedy close to home to make someone realize the risks that they take, by making high speed runs, or having a few too many drinks to realize how quickly things happen and how quickly life can end.

I wish that I had foresight to know how I would die, because driving a car is the most dangerous thing that 99% of people do.

Is it the most dangerous thing? I wonder about that. The leading cause of death in America is cardiovascular failure. So I would think the most dangerous thing to do is to get out of shape.

If you want foresight on how you will most likely die, go read "How We Die" by Sherwin B. Nuland. Great read. Chances are, your clinical death will be described quite nicely in those pages. In it, he describes the 10 (or so) most likely ways people die in America, none of them are car accidents.

How someone dies is a worthy subject to think about, and to give serious thought. No one seems to do so, aside from "yeah I'll probably die in a dramatic car accident."

I did a lot of dumb things behind the wheel as a teen, I survived those years, some do not

Many years ago, a friend of the family explained it to me best, his take was kids have extreme faith in the car, that the car will save them, whereas adults seem to have an understanding of all the things that can happen.

Looking back, I think that's sort of true, I never worried about the kid riding his bike out of the driveway on a blind curve, or what was over the next crest - I just plundered forward, faithfully expecting the car to "perform".

Ed

Definitely true. Some of the things I just expected from my mom's Dodge van (my first car) when I was in high school I wouldn't dare try even in my 540i now. I don't know how I didn't kill myself. Unfortunately, the media and the police generally don't detail anything about accidents involving teenage drivers besides their "unsafe" speed, even if it wasn't the cause of the accident. For all we know, some asshole going 45 in the left lane could have cut him off, caused the accident, then drove on, and the police wouldn't care even if they knew. "Speed kills" bull**** will never appeal to and therefore never help teen drivers. Someone needs to teach teens what their car can do and what it can't and they will be much more likely to figure out on their own what speed they should or should not be driving at. Also, I think the parents are at fault. No 2007 BMW should be in the hands of an 17 year old, especially when he's distracted by driving around friends and under pressure to show off.

Definitely true. Some of the things I just expected from my mom's Dodge van (my first car) when I was in high school I wouldn't dare try even in my 540i now. I don't know how I didn't kill myself. Unfortunately, the media and the police generally don't detail anything about accidents involving teenage drivers besides their "unsafe" speed, even if it wasn't the cause of the accident. For all we know, some asshole going 45 in the left lane could have cut him off, caused the accident, then drove on, and the police wouldn't care even if they knew. "Speed kills" bull**** will never appeal to and therefore never help teen drivers. Someone needs to teach teens what their car can do and what it can't and they will be much more likely to figure out on their own what speed they should or should not be driving at. Also, I think the parents are at fault. No 2007 BMW should be in the hands of an 17 year old, especially when he's distracted by driving around friends and under pressure to show off.

Very tragic overall though.

Biggest killer of teens is car accidents

I mostly agree, I wish we could send every kid to a Skip Barber-type course, but the sad fact is, our driver education courses are getting cut back even further and some parents will not only lend their kids the BMW, they'll buy them a brand new one.

When I was 16, my dad used to say "giving a kid his license is like giving him a loaded gun" - I used to get pissed when he said it then, but he had a point.